Activities

When it comes to activities, Thomas embraces the title "jack of all trades." At any moment, he's equally likely to be composing music for neuroscience exhibits, or deep-diving into an obscure Quiz Bowl category. No matter the project, though, Thomas prioritizes bringing unique perspectives, story telling, and a good bit of nerdiness to everything he does. 

At Northwestern University, Thomas is a bible study leader and part-time pianist with University Christian Ministry, and a proud member of the Quiz Bowl team (don't get him started about the connection between cowboys and thermodynamics). 

Before college, Thomas was the Resident Composer and Videographer for NeuroSalon, where he scored experimental installations designed to teach neuroscience concepts to the public through sensory experiences, merging his love for music and science. He also served as an Elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, where he helped design faith formation programs, created curriculum, and advocated for policy supporting underserved groups and intergenerational outreach efforts. He's taught music and composition to incarcerated youth through the No Repeats Project, and has spent over fourteen years volunteering at local fundraisers supporting music in his hometown of Allentown, PA.

Professionally, Thomas has worked as a Media and Marketing Intern for Lehigh University’s Mountaintop Initiative and performed Renaissance music with the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. His short films, covering everything from media history to political finance reform, have been screened on PBS, and garnered awards at dozens of international festivals, attracting hundreds of thousands of live views.

Thomas has studied music his whole life and is primarily a conservatory-level pianist, studying for over 15 years at institutions such as Curtis Institute of Music and Tanglewood, and is a Paderewski Medal recipient. Thomas has also studied cello and composition, where he was a member of the Moravian University Baroque Ensemble and served as Resident Composer for multiple theater and multimedia productions.

At Parkland High School, Thomas was the president and captain of the Scholastic Scrimmage Varsity Team, which he lead to numerous first place finishes at international competitions. He was also captain of the varsity boys' tennis team, winning multiple district and conference titles. Thomas founded and served as the Editor-in-Chief of Parkland's Literary and Arts Magazine, which published the works of over 250 student writers and artists under his leadership.